Nettle
by wannacook
Summary: Koga couldn't stay away after all. It is up to Kagome to escape from the man she thought she could trust. Now the one Inuyasha most loves has gone missing and he does not know why. All he can do is sit and wait. InuKag /Adults only, violent content.
1. Chapter 1

**Story takes place somewhere after Kikyo's death and Koga's goodbye. **

Chapter 1.

"A cave! Over here!"

Shippo's high-pitched voice came from a distance. Kagome stirred her eyes and spotted the tiny fox demon waving his hands in the woods. She took a better hold of the barely conscious hanyou who was leaning on her.

"Hang in there", she said. "Shippo found a place for us to rest."

Inuyasha didn't say a word. The yookai they had been fighting had took the strength away from them all. Kirara was following behind carrying Sango and the unconscious Miroku.

"Kagome", said Shippo in a tiny voice as they appeared at the cave. "Are they going to be alright?"

"I'm sure they are", Kagome assured. "Inuyasha is strong. Sango's leg is going to be fine and I have some antidote for Miroku."

She placed Inuyasha on the ground and he immediately laid down, turning to face the cold stone wall of the cave. As if to not show them how much he was in pain. Kagome looked at him with a sad expression. She was sure she had never ever seen him in such a bad condition.

Kagome walked over to Kirara and helped Sango to the ground, as well as Miroku.

Inuyasha, Kagome thought. You've been acting distant ever since Kikyo died. And now this... When will things settle down between the two of us?

Of course all Kagome wanted right now was for the hanyou to get better. But she couldn't help but feel pain when she thought how things had been between her and Inuyasha lately. Inuyasha had been avoiding her. Unintentional or not, his behavior made Kagome reconsider her place in this world.

No, she thought, I have no right to go there... I have a duty here. I belong here. At least for as long as we have the quest, I belong here...

"Ah!" came a voice from behind Kagome. She turned around and saw Miroku breathing heavily, holding his cursed hand.

"Miroku!" Kagome acknowledged and ran to him. She opened her bag and took the antidote. "Here, swallow this", she said. Miroku took the antidote that Kagome had brought form her time and thanked her.

Kagome took a look at Sango. She was leaning against the wall of the cave, breathing heavily, not making eye contact with anyone. She looked so pained it made Kagome feel guilty. Sango had come to her rescue after all, and due to that she got hit in the shin by the yookai, thus getting a broken bone.

"Oh Sango", Kagome whispered. She knew what she needed for her. She gave her some painkillers and told Shippo to look after them all.

"I'm off to getting some water for us all", Kagome explained. "And I need to get some herbs, my medicine is running out. Also, I'll be getting some branches to help Sango with her leg."

Shippo looked at her and nodded. "I will protect them."

Kagome smiled sadly. She was about to leave when Inuyasha called her name.

"What is it?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Nettle", he whispered, his voice hoarse. "It's something that I know makes me heal faster."

She promised she would find lot of it, and with that Kagome walked off.

The evening air was chilly. Kagome let out a tiny cry every now and then. Things had never been this serious before. How was it possible that they suddenly had to fight a youkai so powerful that it alone got them all almost killed? It was poisonous, strong. So poisonous even the hanyou Inuyasha couldn't take it. Miroku's Kazaana was out of question.

But even the evil isn't invincible. The youkai had become tired of the battle and Kagome, being the only one who wasn't too badly hurt, finally managed to shoot one of her purifing arrows which made the youkai run off half dead.

Kagome wasn't all that fine, though. She was extremely tired. The battle had lasted for a long time. When the youkai had fled Kagome helped Sango and Miroku on Kirara's back and helped Inuyasha walk all the way to the cave that Shippo found.

And now, without a moment of rest, she was walking in the forest, looking for the nettle Inuyasha was talking about. And the sticks, and water.

Kagome knew there was a river somewhere close by, with the stream heading away from some huge mountains in the distance. She recalled how they had been sitting by that lovely river, Sango trying to catch some fish and Inuyasha telling her how pathetic she was at it. Kagome had to sit him right there and then, straigh in the river, after noticing how furious Sango had become after his little comment. Soon after the youkai had attacked.

Shivering at the events of today, she headed towards the river.

She gave a little yelp. Her arm was hurting. She felt like she didn't even want to look at it. If it was a bad injury she would start feeling nauseated. But she couldn't help but look.

It isn't that bad, she lied to herself. I need to be strong now, with everyone else incapable of doing anything.

Some nasty blood was speading out of the wound. Kagome had to kneel down for a while.

"No way", she cried to herself. "I need to move. I need to keep walking."

She got up and felt her vision go blurry and her ears were ringing. She knew she had to lie down for a while to avoid passing out. She knelt down on the ground holding her head that was spinning.

"Why am I this weak", she said, tears pouring out of her eyes. "They need me more than I need this rest. I won't allow my body to betray me. No, I won't betray my friends."

She sighed and was about to get up again until she heard a voice behind her.

"Kagome?"

Her legs stopped carrying her weight her and she found herself sitting on the ground. Someone walked in front of her and knelt down on her.

"K... Koga?" Kagome whispered. "What are you doing here?"

Koga looked at Kagome with mild panic. "Kagome, are you alright?"

"I thought you said farewell-" 

"I needed to see you", the wolf youkai admitted. "But we'll talk about it later! What happened to you? Where is the rest of your pack? Kagome?"

Kagome felt embarrassed. She didn't like this situation at all.

"They are... They need my help, I..." she managed to say.

"That mutt... I'd kill him for this..." he muttered to himself.

"Koga", Kagome whispered. "Can you... water, they need..."

"I don't understand", Koga said. "But one thing I know for sure. You are not fine. Kagome... I'll take care of you."

Kagome opened the eyes that she hadn't realized she had closed in the first place. She looked at Koga straight in the eye. "What do you mean?" 

Koga stared at her back in a very intense way. "_Let_ me take care of you. My pack isn't that far away. Why won't I take you there until you are fine."

"B-but..."

"You'll meet all your friends... Ginta, Hakkaku", Koga pressed on.

But I want Inuyasha, Kagome thought. I want back to Inuyasha... "They will worry", she said. "Inuyasha will worry."

Anger flashed in Koga's eyes at the mention of Inuyasha's name. "That mutt is nowhere close, now is he? Let me just take you. I'll take care of you, Kagome, I promise."

Kagome was confused. What did he mean Inuyasha is not close by?

Koga seemed to notice Kagome's confusion. "Well", he said, staring at her with that intense stare, "I can't catch that stink of his anywhere here. Come on, Kagome. Only for a few ours, at least. Then I'll return you back here."

Koga was strange, but Kagome, being extremely exhausted, didn't notice anything at all, and with her heart full of trust for the old friend, she nodded for the sign for Koga to pick her up and take her away.

**End of chapter 1.**

**Okay so Koga will be such a monster in this story. I already feel bad, I love him in the manga/anime!**

**I have estimated the story to continue for about 10 chapters, just for you to know. **

**I appreciate all kinds of reviews. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha**

Chapter 2.

Some time had passed since Kikyo's death. Hours. Or days... Or maybe weeks? Inuyasha didn't know. He was lost in his mind. The pity and guilt he felt for the woman he had once loved was taking him away from reality. He barely knew where he was, he didn't even know if he was really alive or just drifting in Hell.

All he felt was pain. Mental pain had always been there when it came to Kikyo. But now the pain was also physical. I must have gone mad, he thought. Kikyo had died but the pain wasn't gone. The mental pain, it wasn't gone. And on top of that he got horrible pain all over his body, the kind of pain that rather reminded him of violent battles than memories of the loved ones.

Then something flashed in his mind. He remembered the youkai. The poison, the crazy strength. The useless Tessaiga. The pink light, and the cry of pain coming from the youkai.

Kagome, saving them all.

Kagome, using all her strength to carry him to a safe place.

Kagome.

The nettle he asked her to get.

His eyes shot open.

"Inuyasha?" he heard a high-pitched voice ask.

Inuyasha, despite feeling a little dizzy, tried to sit up but with no success. As soon as his head rose he let out a tiny yelp and fell to the ground his whole body limp. A wave of pain went through his body and he cursed out loud.

"Inuyasha?" the high-pitched voice repeated. Inuyasha couldn't get up but he managed to turn his head to the fox youkai who was trying to keep the campfire alive. The fire lit up the tiny cave, revealing two unconscious people sleeping at the back of it. Miroku and Sango were only human. If the fight got Inuyasha in such a bad condition it would mean a lot worse for the humans. Kirara was curled up in a tiny ball next to Sango.

Kagome. There was no sight of her. He had no idea how she was doing. He wanted to talk to her. He _needed_ to talk to her.

He knew he had been avoiding her ever since Kikyo died. Yet she seemed to do anything to make him feel better. Inuyasha admitted to himself that he felt bad about it but at the same time he knew he needed to get over Kikyo's death his own way. Even if it meant shutting himself away from others.

"Where's Kagome?" he asked with weak voice. Shippo turned to look at him.

"She went to search for herbs and water for us", he said. "Don't you remember? You were talking to her just a while ago."

_So she must be fine,_ Inuyasha thought, relieved.

"How long ago?"

Shippo turned to stare at the night sky, thinking hard. "Hmm, maybe a couple of hours."

Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes. Once Kagome returned Inuyasha would apologize to her and ask for her understanding. He feared she might be upset with him. She was the most important person to him after all, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing her.

_Come back soon... Kagome..._

Kagome was confused. She was lying on the moist grass by the river. She saw Koga standing close to the waterline, his back turned to her.

She could still feel the nausea caused by the exhaustion and bleeding but it wasn't that bad. The wound on her arm didn't hurt much. She was feeling much stronger compared to how she was when she was searching for the herbs and talking to Koga... Suddenly she felt a little embarrassed, falling asleep on him like that.

It was quiet. Too quiet for the home of a huge wolf pack. Now that Kagome thought about it, she couldn't recognize the place. She knew what Koga's place looked like and this wasn't even close to it.

She cleared her throat. "Koga... Where are we?"

She got up in a sitting position and searched for any signs of the wolves she was supposed to meet.

Koga turned around and walked over to her. He sat down next to Kagome, slightly too close for her liking.

"You were tired", he explained while watching her closely. "You fell asleep and I figured it would be more comfortable for you to sleep on the ground rather than in my arms while I'm running."

It was still night time. Kagome was starting to wonder if she was making Inuyasha and the others worry. "I must have been gone for too long by now", she said to Koga. "After all, they don't know I left. I think I should be getting back."

Kagome felt Koga's body stiffen next to her. Suddenly a warm hand appeared on her shoulder.

"I'm sure they are fine", he assured. "Let's just be like this, the two of us, for a little while."

He squeezed Kagome's shoulder lightly which made Kagome feel uncomfortable. Her heart started beating faster.

"Where is the wolf pack? Ginta, Hakkaku?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Koga sighed.

"I didn't take you to the pack. I just told you, you fell asleep and I didn't want to disturb your sleep by moving around."

"Yeah, well", Kagome said in an awkward tone, "Just tell them hi for me... I think I really need to be getting back to Inuyasha."

Kagome shook Koga's hand off her shoulder and fixed her position so that she was a little further away from him. She only thought Koga as a friend. Knowing he might be feeling otherwise it wasn't wise to let him get too close to her, at least based on his current actions. Kagome tried to avoid looking at Koga. She was staring at the streaming river but she could feel Koga's eyes on her.

"But you're finally with me", he insisted. Kagome turned her head down, staring at the grass, not wanting to show her annoyed expression to the wolf youkai.

She tried to keep her voice calm as she spoke. "Koga. I'm going back to Inuyasha, now."

Koga stood up in a flash, leaving Kagome sitting alone on the ground. The fast movements startled Kagome and she turned to look at him, shocked to see the expression on Koga's face.

"Why are you always rejecting me?" he asked in an angry tone. Kagome stared at him with wide eyes. The furiousness in his eyes made Kagome hold her breath.

"Koga, I..."

"You're the one always leading me on."

Kagome gulped loudly. _He wouldn't hurt me_, she thought hopefully. "Listen, Koga..." she begun with shaky voice. "This is ridiculous. You're my friend, aren't you? We're friends. I don't understand what you are trying accomplish here." 

Koga let out a bitter laugh. He wore a scary smile, and staring into Kagome's eyes he spoke. "I'll make you understand."

**End of chapter 2.**

**Thank you for reviewing and following/favoriting the story!**

**This kind of writing is actually very challenging for me. I'm used to writing from the point of view of "I". Well, I hope it's not too confusing!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

"So? Did you find anything?" Inuyasha asked while his eyes followed Shippo entering the cave. He looked at Inuyasha with sadness in his eyes.

It had been hours since Kagome's disappearance. The night was chilly and Inuyasha wondered if Kagome was doing fine. The clothes she wore weren't the best ones to keep her warm. That's why she always had that silly thing she was sleeping in, the sleeping bag as she called it.

"I didn't find Kagome", Shippo said first, obviously not to raise any hope in Inuyasha. "But there is a tiny village some distance away. I think I should go check it right away."

Shippo added some firewood into the fire. He went closer to Sango, Miroku, and Kirara to check on them if they were fine. All of them were asleep.

Inuyasha closed his eyes in pain. He heard Shippo's footsteps at the entrance of the cave, he was leaving. "Don't worry", he heard Shippo say. "I will bring something to ease the pain. Perhaps the villagers have some herbs."

Inuyasha mumbled a sort of "yeah" in response. He was feeling his body going from hot to cold. He felt feverish. He had very shattered thoughts of Kagome and the pain he felt.

It would be new moon soon. Inuyasha knew it would slow down his healing process if he turned into a human. If Kagome was in danger Inuyasha probably couldn't save her. It made him feel sick of himself.

"Inuyasha?" he heard a voice coming from the back of the cave. He opened his eyes and turned his head enough to see that Sango had awaken. She was leaning on the walls of the cave, breathing heavily.

"Yeah?"

"Did Kagome return yet?"

Inuyasha didn't respond. He could hear Sango inhaling painfully.

"Didn't Kagome return?" she asked, not giving up. Inuyasha avoided looking at her. He was staring at the ceiling, not wanting to show her the painful look in his eyes.

"She's gone off somewhere and there's nothing I can do", he said after a little silence. "I can't move my body properly, Sango. I can't fucking move at all."

"Kagome..." Sango whispered to herself. "Where did you go..."

Inuyasha felt a weight in his chest. He didn't have memories of spending time with Kagome in the past few days. He had been so lost in thought about Kikyo's death he had ignored everyone, especially Kagome. "I would do anything", he said surprisingly softly. "Anything to see her again. To know shes' fine."

"I'm sure she's fine", Sango assured.

"You can't know that. I can't stop these images in my head where... where Kagome no longer lives."

"Stop that", Sango spat. "We can't lose hope yet. It hasn't been that long since her disappearence. Besides, we need to get better as soon as possible. The stress will only slow down your healing."

"Kagome is too good for me", Inuyasha said out of nowhere with hopelessness in his voice. "I've done nothing but ignored her and still she helps me get into a safe place and on top of that, she goes straight off, with no rest, to pick up some fucking herbs for me to help me heal."

"But that's what friends are for, Inuyasha. I'm sure Kagome understands. Don't you think you would have done the same for her?"

"Of course I would've!" Inuyasha yelled. "And right now is the time to prove it. She might be dying out there and I'm here lying selfishly, being completely useless. I'm gonna go look for her straight away." Inuyasha attempted to get up. He managed to roll on his stomach and tried to push himself up. Despite Sango's protesting shouts he got up. The willpower could only carry his body for two weak steps forward until he painfully collapsed on the ground, only hearing Sango's faint voice screaming his name.

"Shit..." he whispered. He was on the verge of passing out. "Kagome... I will not forgive myself if you're hurt."

* * *

The air had an oppressive feel to it. The sky was dark and the moon and the stars were hidden by thick clouds. To an outsider it was probably a nice, silent night. However, the beauty of it was unknown to Kagome who had her head full of alerting warning signs.

She was sitting still on the grass by the river. Koga was standing some metres away from her, looking dangerous.

"Koga", Kagome said with a shiver in her voice, "Why...?"

Slowly, Koga walked over to her, his eyes focused on Kagome's, and knelt down beside her. Kagome attempted to back away but Koga made a sudden move and pushed her to the groundby her shoulders . He had his hands on either side of Kagome's head. His face was way too close to Kagome's for her liking. She put her arms around her chest in a protective way.

"What happened to you", Kagome whispered while shaking her head. Her whole body was trembling in fear and she could feel traitorous tears starting to form up in her eyes.

Koga simply ignored her and kept staring at her face, smiling to himself.

Kagome felt so humiliated that she couldn't bear it any further.

It all happened very fast. Koga seemed lost in the moment. After all, he had Kagome so close to him after all this time. Taking advantage of his mesmerized confusion, Kagome somehow managed to roll out of his grasp. She didn't look back as she got up from the ground and started running.

"I am a demon, you know", she heard him say behind her. She took a tentative peek behind her and saw him standing at the spot where they had just been. She immediately turned hed head away from him. "You can run... But what difference does it make when you stand no chance in the first place."

Kagome stopped running. She knew he was right. She couldn't escape him by running like this.

She wanted to feel sorry for herself. For being so stupid for going with him like that. But at the moment she needed to aim all the negative feelings at Koga. She could deal with her own feelings later. She started fuming inside. She wasn't going to let that man destroy her in any way. She needed to get away. Besides, she thought bitterly, Inuyasha is waiting for the herbs.

So she confronted him. But as she turned to him she was shocked to see him standing right beside her. She took a step back, as she was puzzled by the sudden closeness. Fear took her over as she realized that she hadn't heard him approaching at all. She had ran a good distance away from the river. She hadn't heard him coming to her at all. He was a youkai after all. There was nothing she could do.

Except maybe buy some time.

"Look", she said tentatively, trying to calm herself down and keep Koga off. She was backing away slowly. "I'm sure we can talk about this. You... You wouldn't-"

"Kagome", Koga said, cutting her off. He had a dangerously excited look on his face. "I didn't bring you here so we could talk."

"I won't forgive you", Kagome fumed. "Stay away from me."

"You don't seem to understand my nature at all", Koga smiled. Something animalistic flashed in his eyes to which Kagome reacted the worst way possible. She ran, after all.

**End of Chapter 3.**

**I've been gone... for too long lol... Thank you MadamScorpio for you PM. You woke me up from hibernation. **


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